Donald Trump is Not a Bad President
The title above may require a bit of explanation, but it's true. Donald Trump cannot be called a bad president. The term bad carries with it an inference of degree. If your dog takes a dump in the middle of the floor you would rightfully say, “Bad dog.” The adjective bad refers to some thing or behavior that is inferior, poor, substandard, not good, disappointing, or unpleasant. It by no means connotes the level of evil or malevolence inherent in anything that so far exceeds the term, “bad.”
Evil, on the other hand, carries with it an implied and profound immorality and wickedness of an almost supernatural nature. The term in a Biblical sense denotes morally incorrect behavior which causes unnecessary pain and suffering. By that and other definitions of the term, calling Donald Trump an evil president would come closer to the depravity and moral decay by which we should judge him both as a man and as a president.
How could such a person win the popular vote in a land that normally denounces evil and proclaims their good intentions. Without going into some psychobabble explaining the many ways this happened, perhaps it would be best to say some people were fooled and some people are just enamored by evil. He struck a chord that resonated with many and addressed something that was important to them. Whatever that “something” was, could be evil or it could just be a thing they craved or wanted enough to overlook the voices of reason.
Let’s face it, evil is attractive and often seductive. It often gives us permission to do what we want without guilt. It can provide justification for almost any behavior. If our desires are honorable and sane, accepting or overlooking other faults to achieve a common good is fine. If, however, those desires are also corrupt and evil, such people are merely another part of the problem.
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“Now I know the full power of evil. It makes ugliness seem beautiful and goodness seem ugly and weak.” -August Strindberg, The Dance of Death.
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The quote above is from a play written in 1900. It suggests that it is the nature of evil to distort our perception of beauty and ugliness. It states that evil has the power to justify something that is morally wrong to make it appear attractive and righteous When evil reigns, things that are harmful and destructive can overwhelm our normal defenses. Those who are evil, and good at it, are manipulative and deceitful. Donald John Trump is good at evil.
How else can you explain a political camp that includes racists, misogynists, Nazis, evangelicals, white supremacists, fiscal conservatives, Jews, Blacks, Hispanics, libertarians, elitists, blue collar workers, wealthy executives, farmers, and billionaires. Evil cannot exist in a vacuum. It needs the eminent conman to be a purveyor of that evil for it to infect such a broad spectrum of the population. Enter the evil hero, stage right.
The French poet, Charles Baudelaire said, “The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.” By that interpretation, it would be prudent to remain hidden and unacknowledged to be most effective. Donald Trump would tell such a devil that he knows better. When it comes to evil, if you got it, flaunt it. Donald Trump put the D in Evil.
Working to his advantage, once conned, most people will resist admitting their mistake out of ego, pride, and fear of social judgement. Those committed via groupthink to the mysterious cult of MAGA, would see it as a sign of weakness and a potential for social embarrassment to admit their error even in the face of overwhelming proof. For this reason, Trump has learned to never admit his mistakes and to double down when challenged. He provides followers with their rationale, so they don’t have to overthink anything. Often their canned responses when questioned about his evident misteps are rote explanations provided by their personal Prince of Darkness.
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